Trapped
by Cat2000
Summary: (Rating for possible content in later chapters) When Rhiannon's world gets too harsh for her to handle, she escapes into a fantasy world created by the books she reads. But her whole life changes when she finds a slightly different book
1. Chapter One

Trapped 

Chapter One 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from the Never Ending Story. I'm just playing with the world and the characters. However, Rhiannon is my character. (How many original characters do I have?) 

**Summary:** When Rhiannon's world gets too harsh for her to handle, she escapes into a fantasy world created by the books she reads. But her whole life changes when she finds a slightly different book 

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Rhiannon lay curled up on her bed, a book lying open in front of her. She was trying to read, but the shouting coming from downstairs was bothering her.__

_He's drunk again,_ Rhiannon thought to herself, biting her lip. She glanced towards the door of her room, and wished yet again that it had a lock on it. 

Rhiannon grabbed her pillow, and held it over her ears, trying to drown out the noise. It didn't work, though. And even if it _had_ worked, she still would have been able to hear them shouting in her head.__

_I wish that they weren't so predictable,_ Rhiannon thought. _I wish that my father didn't drink so much. And I wish that my mother didn't keep on goading him!_

Finally, despite the shouting coming from downstairs, Rhiannon was able to slip into sleep. 

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The next morning, Rhiannon made her way slowly through the streets, going to her school. She was dragging her feet as she didn't particularly want to go to school that day, though she supposed that at least it was better than staying at home with all the rows going on.__

_There's not much to choose between either of the places,_ Rhiannon thought as she crossed a particularly busy road. _Home and school are as bad as each other._

Rhiannon glanced to her side, then ahead of her, then to the side again, and stopped. 

There was a bookshop. 

Ok, _that_ wasn't very surprising in itself. There were quite a number of bookshops in the town. But what _was_ surprising was that Rhiannon couldn't remember having seen _this_ particular bookshop before. And she walked this route to and from school every morning and afternoon.__

_I suppose that I could have just missed it before,_ Rhiannon thought. But she didn't think that that was very likely. After all, she bought books whenever possible. She _loved_ reading. 

Rhiannon hesitated. She would be late if she delayed too much longer.__

_On second thoughts, maybe that's not too bad an idea,_ Rhiannon decided. _I don't really mind being late for school. Unless, of course, they ring my parents...___

_That_ thought was almost enough to make Rhiannon continue on past the bookshop and go on to school. But she was too curious about this bookshop that she hadn't seen before. So she pushed open the door and stepped in. 

The shop had that almost musty smell which nearly always accompanies old books. It was fairly bright inside, but not as bright as the outside had been. 

Rhiannon looked around at all of the books, not noticing the old shopkeeper at first. At least, not until he spoke. 

"Oh, another kid," the old man grunted. "Come to get your sticky fingers all over the books and vandalise my property, I suppose." 

"I'm not," Rhiannon replied quickly. "I just came in to look at the books. I like reading." 

"Hm." The shopkeeper didn't look very convinced. "Shouldn't you be in school now?" he demanded. 

"Um, I guess so," Rhiannon answered. "But... I don't really want to go to school. And I can't really stay at home..." She bit her lip and looked down, hoping that the shopkeeper wouldn't ask for reasons. 

"Well..." The shopkeeper's eyes softened slightly. "It's hardly _my_ place to tell you whether to go to school or not," he said. "Feel free to look around as much as you want." With those words, he placed a book on one of the shelves, and then moved off into a different section. 

Rhiannon hesitated, then moved over to the shelf the shopkeeper had placed the book on. She took the book down, and saw that it had a strange circular-shaped design on the front. 

"The Never Ending Story," Rhiannon read. 

Rhiannon moved to a chair and sat down. Opening the book, she glanced down at the pages. 

Suddenly, there seemed to be a bright light coming from the inside of the book itself. Then, everything went black. 

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	2. Chapter Two

Trapped 

Chapter Two 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the Never Ending Story, and I'm not making any money from this fic 

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Atreyu rode across the plains on Artex, his horse. "Come on, Artex," he said softly. "Let's see if we can't get at least a little headway on the purple buffalo before we have to turn in for the night." 

Artex snorted in agreement, and Atreyu laughed softly. "Come on, Artex, faster." He gently nudged Artex in the sides, and Artex began galloping across the plains. 

Suddenly, Artex stopped dead. Atreyu nearly went over his horse's head, but managed to grab onto the reins just in time. 

"Artex?" Atreyu frowned. "What is it? What's wrong?" 

Artex snorted and lowered his head, apparently nudging at something on the ground. Atreyu couldn't see whatever it was because Artex's head was in the way. 

"Ok," Atreyu murmured, sliding off Artex's back. "Let me take a look at what you've found..." His voice trailed off and his eyes widened as he saw the limp form on the ground. 

It was a young girl with tangled auburn hair.Her eyes were shut, which meant that she was either unconscious, or was pretending to be. Atreyu was more inclined to go with the former. The girl really didn't look too good. 

Atreyu gently pushed Artex away from the prone form, reached down, and gently shook the girl's shoulder. 

Almost immediately, the girl's green eyes flew open, and she pulled sharply away from Atreyu, but then stopped as she took in her surroundings. 

"Who are you?" the girl demanded. 

Atreyu slowly shook his head. "Who are _you_?" he retorted. "And what are you doing in Fantasia?" Atreyu was pretty sure that this girl wasn't a native to Fantasia. She was wearing strange clothes, for one thing. 

The girl continued looking around wildly. "Fantasia?" she said. "But... that's impossible. I was only just in a bookshop." 

"There are no shops which sell books near here," Atreyu pointed out rather unnecessarily. 

The girl hesitated, then ran a hand through her hair. "I must be dreaming," she decided. 

Atreyu's face registered puzzlement. "Why would you think that?" he wanted to know. 

"Because it's the only possible explanation," the girl replied calmly. "Other than I'm going mad, which is _not_ something that I want to believe." She hesitated, then said, "My name's Rhiannon." 

"I'm Atreyu," Atreyu replied. "And this is my horse Artex." He then looked at his horse. "I suppose we'd better get going," he sighed. 

"I'll be leaving too," Rhiannon said, turning to go. 

"Actually, you're not," Atreyu said calmly. "You're coming with me and Artex. I'm taking you to the Ivory Tower to see the Empress." 

"I am _not_ going with you!" Rhiannon protested. 

"I'll make you," Atreyu threatened. "I'm stronger than you are." 

"I am _not_ going with you," Rhiannon repeated. 

"Would you like me to tie you onto Artex?" Atreyu asked, taking a slight step towards Rhiannon with his hand half-raised. 

"You wouldn't dare!" Rhiannon gasped, shrinking back from him. 

"Get on Artex and I won't." 

Rhiannon looked down and mumbled something. 

"What was that?" Atreyu asked. 

Rhiannon raised her head again and glared at Atreyu. "I _said_ that I _can't_ ride a horse!" she snapped. "I've never even sat on one before." 

Atreyu just shrugged. "Then you're going to have to learn, aren't you?" he replied. 

Rhiannon stared at him. "That's not fair!" she protested. 

"You _are_ going to the Ivory Tower," Atreyu said. "Even if I have to tie you onto my horse to make sure of it! I think that you must be an Earthling, and, if you _are_, then that means that you're here for a reason. Earthlings don't just arrive in Fantasia by accident." 

"If you lay _one_ finger on me, I'll scream," Rhiannon threatened. 

"Go ahead," Atreyu replied. "No one's near enough to hear you or come to your aid in time. You'll end up coming with me anyway, so you can either come along quietly, or I can _make_ you come along. It's your choice." 

"I'm going to fall off," Rhiannon muttered as she dragged her feet back over to Atreyu and Artex. 

"No, you won't," Atreyu replied calmly. "I'll be sitting behind you. I won't let you fall off." He pointed at the stirrup. "Now put your foot here and pull yourself up. Make sure you get your other leg over," he added. 

Rhiannon looked at the horse and gulped. "You'd better keep still," she muttered, bracing her hands on Artex's sides. Then, she tried to get her foot into the stirrup, but just ended up accidentally pushing herself away from the horse. 

Atreyu rolled his eyes, and then slipped his arms around Rhiannon's waist and lifted her up slightly so that she could get her foot into the stirrup. 

"Thanks," Rhiannon muttered, swinging her other leg over the horse, and then grabbing Artex around the neck. 

Atreyu got onto Artex behind Rhiannon. "Don't strangle Artex," he told her. "I'm not going to let you fall off. Hold onto the reins." 

Rhiannon hesitated, then slowly loosened her stranglehold around Artex's neck and gripped hard onto the reins instead. 

Atreyu slipped his hands around Rhiannon's waist, and took hold of the reins, his hands resting on hers. "Comfortable?" he asked. 

"No, not really," Rhiannon admitted. 

Atreyu just shrugged, and gently nudged Artex into movement. 

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	3. Chapter Three

Trapped 

Chapter Three 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from the Never Ending Story, and I'm not making any money from this fic 

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A couple of days of riding later, Atreyu was ready to literally gag Rhiannon. She was forever arguing with him and refusing to do what he said. Of course, it didn't really help that Atreyu just argued right back. 

At least Rhiannon hadn't fallen off Artex yet. That was _one_ thing she couldn't complain about. 

Not that she _didn't_ find a lot to complain about anyway. She complained about anything from being hungry to being saddlesore. She was driving Atreyu mad. 

Atreyu guessed that one of the reasons why Rhiannon was complaining so much was because she was trying to get him to just let her go. Atreyu refused to do that... But gagging Rhiannon was becoming a more and more tempting option. 

"Isn't it time to eat yet?" Rhiannon asked. "I want to stretch my legs. They ache." 

Atreyu sighed, and clenched his fists on the reins. He really felt like slapping Rhiannon at that particular moment. When he felt that he could speak calmly, he said, "We already ate about an hour ago. If we're not careful, we'll end up running out of food." 

"Well, I _could_ just leave, then," Rhiannon said brightly. 

"Forget it," Atreyu replied. "You're _not_ leaving. However, if you continue to complain, I _will_ gag you." 

"You wouldn't _dare_!" Rhiannon gasped. 

Atreyu pulled back lightly on Artex's reins, causing the horse to stop. Then, he slid off the horse and started looking through one of the saddlebags. 

"What are you doing?" Rhiannon demanded. 

"Looking for some cloth and rope," Atreyu answered, finding some. 

"That's not fair!" Rhiannon protested. 

"I'm getting tired of your complaining," Atreyu told her. "If I have to tie you up and gag you to stop you complaining, I will." 

"You're mean!" Rhiannon said. 

Atreyu just shrugged. "You can either stop complaining, or I'll gag you," he threatened. 

"All right," Rhiannon muttered. "I'll stop complaining. But I don't like you very much, and I'm _not_ travelling with you any further than the Ivory Tower." 

"The feeling is mutual," Atreyu muttered, putting the cloth and rope away again and getting back on Artex. 

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The Ivory Tower was in a lovely town with a lot of people in it. Rhiannon looked around. "Oh, it's lovely here," she said in a pleased tone. 

Glad to hear it," Atreyu muttered, bringing Artex to a halt and sliding off. Before Rhiannon could get off, he reached out, and lifted her off Artex. 

"Thank you," Rhiannon murmured. 

Atreyu took hold of Artex's reins, and started leading his horse towards the tower. Rhiannon had to hurry to keep up with him. 

"How are we going to get inside?" Rhiannon asked, looking up at the Ivory Tower. 

"I'm sure that the Empress already knows that we're coming," Atreyu replied. 

At that moment, a pretty young girl of about Atreyu's age wearing white and with long black hair came down the steps. "Atreyu," she greeted in a soft, calm voice. 

Atreyu bowed. "Empress Moonchild," he said. "I came here because I found this Earthling child on the plains." He nodded to Rhiannon, who wasn't sure whether to try curtsying or not. She settled for a kind of awkward half-bow. "I though that you would know why she was here in Fantasia," Atreyu added. 

"I do, as it happens," the Empress replied. "It is no coincidence that this Earthling child ended up in _your_ company, Atreyu. I was going to send for you anyway." 

"What do you mean?" Atreyu asked. 

"You and this human child must find the four Ancient Treasures," the Empress answered. 

Rhiannon stared at the Empress. "_What_?!" she cried. "I am _not_ going to travel with him any further!" And then, she turned and ran off further into the city. 

Atreyu started to go after her, but the Empress stopped him. "Leave her," she said. "She will not leave the city. Let _her_ come back to you." 

Atreyu chose not to answer that. "What are the four Ancient Treasures that we have to find?" he asked instead. 

"We're not sure," the Empress replied. "But you will know them when you see them. You will have a little time before you have to leave. I suggest that you use that time to teach your Earthling child how to defend herself in a fight." 

"But that could take ages!" Atreyu protested. 

"Then you'd better get started, then, hadn't you?" 

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	4. Chapter Four

Trapped

Chapter Four  
  
**Disclaimer: **I don't own anything from the Never Ending Story, and I'm not making any money from this fic

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"You are _not_ going to be able to teach me to defend myself in a couple of weeks!" Rhiannon said sharply, her arms crossed firmly over her chest.

"You don't know that for sure," Atreyu replied. "All I need to do is teach you the basics of knife fighting. And you'll still be training while we're travelling."

"Humph," Rhiannon said.

"Hey, _I _don't like it either!" Atreyu snapped. "I thought that I was going to be _rid _of you when we got here! I didn't want or _need _this!"

"Well, _I _wasn't the one who wanted to travel with you!" Rhiannon snarled.

"And if you _hadn't_, then it would have taken me ages to find you again!" Atreyu replied. "And we don't _have_ ages!"

"I don't even know _why _I'm helping!" Rhiannon said. "This world isn't even real! It only exists in my imagination! For that matter, so do _you_, Atreyu."

"If that's the case, then why aren't I doing what you want me to?"

"But it's the only possible explanation!" Rhiannon protested.

"It's not the _only _possible explanation," Atreyu said.

"Well, I _could _be going mad, I suppose," Rhiannon said thoughtfully, a worried look on her face.

"I didn't mean _that_, either," Atreyu muttered.

"Well, it's certainly not _real_!" Rhiannon replied.

"Why don't you _act _as though you believe it _is _real?" Atreyu suggested. "That might help."

"Yeah, right," Rhiannon muttered. Then, she sighed. "Oh, ok. Why not?"

"Good." Atreyu took a small dagger out of his belt and held it out to Rhiannon. "Let's get started, then."

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"My arms ache," Rhiannon complained a few days later.

"They're _going _to ache," Atreyu explained, trying to be patient. "You're learning to fight with a dagger. It's _going _to be uncomfortable, at least until you get used to using it. Strike again."

Rhiannon stared at the life-sized dummy she was using to practise on. Then, she she struck, angling the dagger upwards so that it would miss the ribs and hit the heart.

"No, you're moving too slow," Atreyu said with a sigh. "By that time, an opponent could have struck you down. Try attacking again."

Rhiannon rolled her eyes, but obeyed, moving quicker than before.

Atreyu opened his mouth, but was stopped from speaking by the arrival of the Empress' chief advisor.

Atreyu turned to bow to the man, and, after a moment's hesitation, Rhiannon did the same. "Sir," Atreyu said.

"It is the Empress' wish that you start on your quest now," the advisor told Atreyu.

Atreyu's eyes widened. "But we _can't_!" he protested. "Rhiannon is nowhere near ready to defend herself in a true fight!"

"_Hey_!" Rhiannon snapped.

"You _must _leave now!" the advisor insisted.

Atreyu hesitated, and then slowly nodded. "As the Empress commands, so will I obey," he replied.

"It is the Empress' wish also that you take _this _with you," the advisor said, holding out a pendant to Atreyu.

It was the Orin.

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	5. Chapter Five

Trapped 

Chapter Five 

**Disclaimer:** I don't own anything from the Never Ending Story, and I'm not making any money from this fic 

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"Ok... We need to try and find you a horse," Atreyu told Rhiannon. 

"Why?" Rhiannon frowned. "What's wrong with both of us riding Artex?" 

"Artex won't be _able_ to carry a double weight for long," Atreyu explained, trying to be patient. But his words sounded bitten off in a tone that was more like a growl. _What_ is_ it about this girl?_ he wondered. _Half of the time, I want to hit her... But the other half, I'm not sure exactly _what_ I feel._

Rhiannon looked down. "I was only asking," she mumbled. 

Atreyu sighed. "I'm sorry, Rhiannon," he said. "I'm just a little on edge. I don't like this quest at all. We know hardly anything about what it is we're supposed to find." 

Rhiannon hesitated, then, "Would you _really_ have tied me up and gagged me if I'd carried on complaining on the way here?" she wanted to know. 

Atreyu looked at her. "What do _you_ think?" 

Rhiannon paused. "Yes, I think you would have," she said finally. 

Atreyu nodded. "You weren't making things easy for me," he told Rhiannon, not really looking at her. "I already had to bring you to the Ivory Tower. I _would_ have gagged you. _And_ tied you up." 

"But you _should_ understand how I was feeling at that moment," Rhiannon protested. "I just found myself in a world that shouldn't exist outside of imagination! I was confused." 

Atreyu gave Rhiannon a sideways glance. "Do you admit that this world is real, then?" he asked. 

Rhiannon hesitated. "I don't know," she eventually admitted. "I really don't. I'm sorry, Atreyu." 

Atreyu didn't reply. Instead, he said, "We're at the stables now." 

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It was well into the late afternoon when Rhiannon and Atreyu rode out of the city. Rhiannon had found a suitable horse - a black one with a white star on her nose called Moonlight. 

_I'm going to get saddle-sore,_ Rhiannon thought, shifting slightly in her saddle. She didn't say anything to Atreyu, though. He wouldn't be happy if she started complaining. 

_And suddenly Atreyu's happiness means so much more to me?_

Rhiannon guided her horse closer to Atreyu's, and asked, "Atreyu, what exactly is that necklace you're wearing?" 

"It's the orin," Atreyu explained, still looking ahead. "It's the symbol of the Empress' power. It can grant wishes, and whoever carries it speaks for the Empress." 

"That design was on the cover of the book I was reading before I came here," Rhiannon said thoughtfully. 

Atreyu glanced sideways at her. "What was the book about?" 

"I don't know," Rhiannon admitted. "I... came here before I started reading." 

Atreyu opened his mouth to say something, then closed it again as a look of horror came into his eyes. Rhiannon heard the beating of wings behind her. "What is it?" she demanded. 

"Duck!" Atreyu yelled. Then, before Rhiannon could react, he leaped at her, knocking her off Moonlight. 

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